Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "defense-lawyer"
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1. Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
R | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A woman is suspected of murder after her husband's death; their half-blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.
Director: Justine Triet | Stars: Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner, Antoine Reinartz
Votes: 115,802
2. O.J.: Made in America (2016)
TV-MA | 467 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
Director: Ezra Edelman | Stars: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mike Albanese, Muhammad Ali, Marcus Allen
Votes: 21,558
3. The Devil's Advocate (1997)
R | 144 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
An exceptionally-adept Florida lawyer is offered a job at a high-end New York City law firm with a high-end boss--the biggest opportunity of his career to date.
Director: Taylor Hackford | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron, Jeffrey Jones
Votes: 401,422 | Gross: $60.98M
4. Chicago (2002)
PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Crime, Musical
Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer's attention.
Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Taye Diggs
Votes: 243,161 | Gross: $170.69M
5. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A lawyer defending a wealthy man begins to believe his client is guilty of more than just one crime.
Director: Brad Furman | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy
Votes: 253,547 | Gross: $58.01M
6. The Staircase (2022)
TV-MA | 65 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Tells the story of Michael Peterson, a crime novelist accused of killing his wife Kathleen after she is found dead at the bottom of a staircase in their home, and the 16-year judicial battle that followed.
Stars: Colin Firth, Toni Collette, Michael Stuhlbarg, Patrick Schwarzenegger
Votes: 33,789
7. Georgia Rule (2007)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama
A troubled young woman is sent to live with her grandmother for the summer, while hiding a secret that could potentially tear her family apart.
Director: Garry Marshall | Stars: Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney
Votes: 26,854 | Gross: $18.88M
8. Just Mercy (2019)
PG-13 | 137 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
World-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner.
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton | Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, Charlie Pye Jr.
Votes: 75,652
9. Defending Jacob (2020)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The limited drama series is a gripping, character-driven thriller based on the 2012 New York Times best selling novel of the same name by William Landay. An assistant DA's world is shattered when his beloved son gets charged with murder.
Stars: Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones
Votes: 66,185
10. Hill Street Blues (1981–1987)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.
Stars: Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, James Sikking
Votes: 10,539
11. Paths of Glory (1957)
Approved | 88 min | Drama, War
After a failed attack on a German position, a general orders three soldiers, chosen at random, court-martialed for cowardice and their commanding officer must defend them.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready
Votes: 212,036
12. Funny Girl (1968)
G | 151 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
The life of Fanny Brice, famed comedienne and entertainer of the early 1900s. We see her rise to fame as a Ziegfeld girl, subsequent career, and her personal life, particularly her relationship with Nick Arnstein.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Kay Medford, Anne Francis
Votes: 25,127 | Gross: $58.50M
13. Bullitt (1968)
M/PG | 114 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A nonconformist San Francisco cop is determined to find the underworld kingpin who killed the witness under his protection.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Vaughn, Don Gordon
Votes: 75,762 | Gross: $42.30M
14. King of New York (1990)
R | 103 min | Crime, Thriller
A drug kingpin is released from prison and seeks to take total control of the criminal underworld in order to give back to the community.
Director: Abel Ferrara | Stars: Christopher Walken, David Caruso, Laurence Fishburne, Victor Argo
Votes: 42,038 | Gross: $2.55M
15. American Gigolo (1980)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A Los Angeles escort is accused of a murder which he did not commit.
Director: Paul Schrader | Stars: Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton, Hector Elizondo, Nina van Pallandt
Votes: 29,400 | Gross: $23.00M
16. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Not Rated | 161 min | Drama, Mystery
An upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O'Connell
Votes: 71,266 | Gross: $11.90M
17. Acts of Vengeance (2017)
R | 87 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A fast-talking lawyer transforms his body and takes a vow of silence, not to be broken until he finds out who killed his wife and daughter and has his revenge.
Director: Isaac Florentine | Stars: Antonio Banderas, Karl Urban, Paz Vega, Clint Dyer
Votes: 13,604
18. The Life of David Gale (2003)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Cleo King
Votes: 125,982 | Gross: $19.59M
19. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
R | 116 min | Crime, Drama
A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.
Director: Joel Coen | Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini
Votes: 114,943 | Gross: $7.49M
20. Murder by Numbers (2002)
R | 115 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Two gifted high school students execute a perfect murder - then become engaged in an intellectual contest with a seasoned homicide detective.
Director: Barbet Schroeder | Stars: Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt
Votes: 62,362 | Gross: $31.95M
21. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
The sensuous wife of a roadside diner proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordid, steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.
Director: Bob Rafelson | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, John Colicos, Michael Lerner
Votes: 25,746 | Gross: $12.38M
22. And Justice for All (1979)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A lawyer is forced to defend a judge, while defending other clients, and trying to find punishment for the guilty and provide justice for the innocent.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Al Pacino, Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Lee Strasberg
Votes: 39,597
23. Jagged Edge (1985)
R | 108 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A wealthy woman is murdered in her beach house. The husband is allegedly knocked out first. He inherits all. He has a female ex criminal prosecutor represent him in court.
Director: Richard Marquand | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Glenn Close, Peter Coyote, Robert Loggia
Votes: 16,776 | Gross: $40.50M
24. Dead Man Walking (1995)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama
A nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.
Director: Tim Robbins | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky, Raymond J. Barry
Votes: 101,685 | Gross: $39.39M
25. High Crimes (2002)
PG-13 | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A successful lawyer's husband is arrested for murdering nine villagers in El Salvador in 1988 as a US soldier under a different name. She decides to defend him in military court and find out the truth about what happened.
Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Adam Scott
Votes: 48,162 | Gross: $41.54M
26. The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Not Rated | 124 min | Drama, War
When a U.S. Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardises the ship, the first officer is urged to consider relieving him of command.
Director: Edward Dmytryk | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray
Votes: 29,860 | Gross: $21.75M
27. Reversal of Fortune (1990)
R | 111 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
Wealthy Sunny von Bülow lies brain-dead, husband Claus guilty of attempted murder; but he says he's innocent and hires Alan Dershowitz for his appeal.
Director: Barbet Schroeder | Stars: Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Ron Silver, Annabella Sciorra
Votes: 18,715 | Gross: $15.45M
28. Outrageous Fortune (2005–2010)
TV-MA | 45 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
When career criminal Wolfgang West gets put away for four years, his wife Cheryl decides it's time for her family to go straight. But can the Wests change the habits of a lifetime?
Stars: Robyn Malcolm, Antony Starr, Siobhan Marshall, Antonia Prebble
Votes: 2,396
29. Defending Your Life (1991)
PG | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
In an afterlife way-station resembling a major city, the lives of the recently deceased are examined in a court-like setting.
Director: Albert Brooks | Stars: Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep, Rip Torn, Lee Grant
Votes: 21,226 | Gross: $16.37M
30. Brokedown Palace (1999)
PG-13 | 100 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Two women are arrested for smuggling while vacationing in Thailand.
Director: Jonathan Kaplan | Stars: Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman, Jacqueline Kim
Votes: 24,034 | Gross: $10.11M
31. Devil's Knot (2013)
Not Rated | 114 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a Satanic ritual.
Director: Atom Egoyan | Stars: Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Alessandro Nivola, James Hamrick
Votes: 23,839
32. Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
PG | 114 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
A lawyer and a little girl must prove that a man claiming to be Santa Claus is the real thing.
Director: Les Mayfield | Stars: Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, Dylan McDermott, J.T. Walsh
Votes: 43,856 | Gross: $17.19M
33. The Goldman Case (2023)
115 min | Crime, Drama, History
Chronicles the trial of Goldman, a French left-wing revolutionary who was convicted of several robberies and was mysteriously murdered.
Director: Cédric Kahn | Stars: Arieh Worthalter, Arthur Harari, Stéphan Guérin-Tillié, Nicolas Briançon
Votes: 1,516
34. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Not Rated | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
After a divorced New York mother hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus at Macy's, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article. When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer defends him in court by arguing that he's not mistaken.
Director: George Seaton | Stars: Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Gene Lockhart
Votes: 54,891 | Gross: $2.65M
35. Blind Date (1987)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Romance
A workaholic needs a date for a dinner with new important clientele, but who his brother sets him up with could lead to disaster.
Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Kim Basinger, Bruce Willis, John Larroquette, William Daniels
Votes: 24,143 | Gross: $39.32M
36. The Paradine Case (1947)
Approved | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A happily married London barrister falls in love with the accused poisoner he is defending.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Gregory Peck, Ann Todd, Charles Laughton, Charles Coburn
Votes: 12,372
37. The Collini Case (2019)
Not Rated | 123 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young lawyer stumbles upon a vast conspiracy while investigating a brutal murder case.
Director: Marco Kreuzpaintner | Stars: Elyas M'Barek, Alexandra Maria Lara, Heiner Lauterbach, Manfred Zapatka
Votes: 12,938
38. The File on Thelma Jordon (1949)
Passed | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Assistant district attorney Cleve Marshall falls for the mysterious Thelma Jordon when she seeks help solving robberies of her aunt's estate.
Director: Robert Siodmak | Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, Paul Kelly, Joan Tetzel
Votes: 3,153
39. Shark (2006–2008)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Sebastian Stark is a well-known Los Angeles attorney who leaves his lucrative career defending wealthy criminals to be a prosecutor for the district attorney.
Stars: James Woods, Danielle Panabaker, Sophina Brown, Sarah Carter
Votes: 12,103
40. The Witness for the Prosecution (2016)
Not Rated | 59 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The hunt is on to find the murderer of a wealthy glamorous heiress who is found dead in her London townhouse. Based on the short story by Agatha Christie.
Stars: Billy Howle, Kim Cattrall, Monica Dolan, Andrea Riseborough
Votes: 5,620
41. Prince of the City (1981)
R | 167 min | Crime, Drama
A New York City narcotics detective reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption, and soon realises he's in over his head, and nobody can be trusted.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, Richard Foronjy, Don Billett
Votes: 9,506 | Gross: $8.12M
42. A Cry in the Dark (1988)
PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama
A mother whose child was killed in a dingo attack in the Australian Outback fights to prove her innocence when she is accused of murder.
Director: Fred Schepisi | Stars: Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, Dale Reeves, David Hoflin
Votes: 11,195 | Gross: $6.91M
43. The Last Wave (1977)
PG | 106 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A Sydney lawyer defends five Aboriginal Persons in a ritualized taboo murder and in the process learns disturbing things about himself and premonitions.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett, David Gulpilil, Frederick Parslow
Votes: 11,018
44. Before and After (1996)
PG-13 | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two parents deal with the effects when their son is accused of murdering his girlfriend.
Director: Barbet Schroeder | Stars: Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson, Edward Furlong, Julia Weldon
Votes: 9,958 | Gross: $8.80M
45. The Truth (1960)
Not Rated | 127 min | Drama
A liberated small-town girl and the family's black sheep moves to Paris with her sister, only to find herself standing trial for the shocking murder of her young lover. Was his killing premeditated or was this a crime of passion?
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot | Stars: Brigitte Bardot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel, Sami Frey
Votes: 4,441
46. Too Young to Die? (1990 TV Movie)
R | 92 min | Crime, Drama
An abused 15-year-old is charged with a murder that carries the death penalty.
Director: Robert Markowitz | Stars: Michael Tucker, Juliette Lewis, Brad Pitt, Alan Fudge
Votes: 4,257
47. The Guilty (2000)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young person gets hired to kill someone completely unknown, by someone equally unknown. Or is that true? Nothing is what it seems.
Director: Anthony Waller | Stars: Bill Pullman, Devon Sawa, Gabrielle Anwar, Angela Featherstone
Votes: 3,842
48. True Believer (1989)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A cynical former civil liberties attorney now reduced to "specializing" in defending drug dealers becomes transformed by an eight-year-old murder case.
Director: Joseph Ruben | Stars: James Woods, Robert Downey Jr., Margaret Colin, Yuji Okumoto
Votes: 5,417 | Gross: $8.74M
49. Jury Duty (1995)
PG-13 | 88 min | Comedy
Jobless loser Tommy Collins is sequestered to be a juror in a serial killer trial. He does everything he can to prolong the trial and deliberations to take full advantage of the free lodging and food.
Director: John Fortenberry | Stars: Pauly Shore, Tia Carrere, Stanley Tucci, Brian Doyle-Murray
Votes: 8,776 | Gross: $17.01M
50. Petrocelli (1974–1976)
60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A Harvard-educated lawyer from Boston sets up shop in a small Arizona town.
Stars: Barry Newman, Susan Howard, Albert Salmi, Arnold Jeffers
Votes: 1,047